Final Preview: France v Turkey

The French U16 men's basketball team will look to go one step further than their U20 counterparts when they take on Turkey in the final of the Dadu U16 European Championship on Sunday afternoon.

By defeating the previously unbeaten Italy on Saturday, the French U16 team were able to become the second team from their nation to make a European youth final this season, but they will now be hoping for a more positive outcome than the U20's who arrived back in France with silver medals dangled around their necks.

If they are going to pull it off they are going to have to do what few other teams in Lithuania have been able to to date: contain the superior height of Turkey inside the paint.

With seven players on their roster cracking two metres, it should come of little surprise to see Turkey leading the tournament in two-pointers made.

But if there is one team that can neutralise Turkey inside the perimeter, it is France who are easily leading the competition when it comes to conceding the least points a game.

What France give up in height, they make up for in strength and athleticism, creating a rarely penetrated defensive wall.

One thing that both of these teams do have in common is the lack of a standout player, but rather benches that run deep.

Neither team has a player averaging more than 13 points a game, suggesting that the final will not be about an individual, but rather which team operates the best as a unit.

Turkey and France have not yet met in the Championship but the Turks hold a slight advantage over their rivals after narrowly defeating them at a friendly tournament in France in the spring.

"We have revenge to claim," French captain Elie Fedensieu told FIBAEurope.com. "We have already lost to them so of course, firstly it is a final but it is a chance to claim revenge too."

The French come into the final with some injury concerns with Lenny Charles-Catherine scoring 16 points in 16-and-a-half minutes in their semi-final win before limping from the court. France remain hopeful that he will return for the final.